Mark Traphagen's comments really resonate with me as I'm considering how and why and in what form to create a...

Mark Traphagen's comments really resonate with me as I'm considering how and why and in what form to create a community.
If you have a community or are thinking about creating one this is a thought provoking read.
#community   #Googleplusinteraction  

Originally shared by Mark Traphagen

How to Use Social Science to Build Addictive Communities
Richard Millington at #MozCon  2014

What matters is not having a community, it's developing a powerful sense of community around your brand.

Create a boundary. There has to be a sense of being an"insider." The harder it is to get in, the more value it seems to have. Create an insider group by deciding what the boundaries should be, based on demographics, habits, psychographic.

You can do this for different sectors. A group for old-time experts and a group for enthusiastic newbies. Pitch each on the value it has, and tell them why they're better than the other group ;-). 

Mistake: trying to get everyone in your community. Much more value in getting the right few people to launch. Successful communities can be launched with as few as 15 friends in the target sector. 

Introduce rituals and traditions to your group. Example: ask members what their most painful or difficult experience in their profession was. That gets people opened up to the group, vulnerable and real. 

Have a common place for your community. 

Create a shared narrative. Make sure members know the history of the community and where they fit in. Newbies should know about the successes and failures, who are the members that have made a difference.

Create a shared emotional connection.

Share unique experiences. Your group is thriving if a set of "in-jokes" starts to emerge, if there are people saying, "Remember that time when..." 

Find small victories that can be turned into bigger things. Make a big, big deal out of even a small thing that some members accomplish. 

Provoke vulnerability. Get people out of the comfort zone, into talking about the issues people really want to talk about but are afraid to start the conversation. 

Initiate deeper discussions. Become the place where people are talking about the things that really matter in that vertical, and where the really helpful tips and answers are being provided. Example: there exists a 40,000 word discussion on the Talk page for the Wikipedia page for Star Trek: into Darkness on whether the "i" in "into" should be capitalized. 

Encourage self-disclosure. Relationships start around politeness about a common topic. When you push through to something more personal, deeper connections happen.

Steal popular discussions. Find the most popular discussions in other similar communities and initiate those discussions on your community. 

Why do people participate in communities? The want power and influence, especially among peers. 

Ask your members about their experience and expertise. Give them an opportunity to shine. Have an "member of the month" interview. Do a survey to find out the unique areas of expertise of members, and draw those members into relevant discussion.